Pipe cutter



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` Jl R JoBE March 26, 1946.

PIPE CUTTER Filed March24, 1945 Fig. l

`March 26, 1946. J, R, J0EE 2,397,318

PIPE GUTTER Filed Marc-zh 24, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 26 1946.

PIPE CUTTER Filed March 24, 1945 3 Sheets-.Sheet 3 SMM/LW.

Patented Mar. 26, 1946 UNITEDY sfmT.Es ear-,ENT orme-E PIIE CUTTER J ohnBlJ obe, Houston, Tex. Arrlieellee Match, 1945, Serial NYOfESSlZl@ 8 Claims.

This invention, relates .to .a pipe putten f Anobiect .of theinventisuls .l provide a elllterA of vthe character vdescribedspeciallyl designed` to be lowered inte aplpesillk lll Well Mir-mld to sever the saine, or toso weaken the pipe'tha't an upper section o f the pipe maybe ren'if'wedv from the well.

Y'.'Lhe invention also embodies `means,whereby the topi may be looa'tedin .niepipe at the 'point where it is desiredto maire the out;4V

It 4 is a further object or `the inventionto prof vide a pipe cutter'wheh may be lowered into pipje, and operated, by a wire line.

With the above andl otherobjects in -view this invention has particular relation .tocertain novel features of 'construction,operation and arrangement .of parts yan example Aof which is givenin this specification and ,illustrated in the accomr panying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a Vertical', sectional view of the cutteri a pipe and in 'inactive'position Figure 2 shows a vertical, sectonalview vthereo f, in active positi.o n

Figure 3 shows a sectional view vtaken on ,thev line 3-.-3 Vof Figure 1.

Figure 4 vshowsa sectional viewtaken on the line 4.-I I of Figure?.

yFigure 5 shows asectional View taken odthe line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 shows afragmentarvside .viewer the ings, wherein like numerals ro fk reference designate` the same parts in each `of the figures thenumeral I designates a downwardlytapering mandrel'to the upper end of which the jar 2 yis connected. This jaris formed of links slackly connected to# gether. At its upper end theljar is forhe'd with a .threacled pin (iff-or the connection of'la 'rope socket, as4, thereto and to which a wire operating line 5 ,may beconn'ected. 'Y

Threaded onto theflower end ofthe mandrel there is guide 6 whose lower' end 'is pointed.- Above lthe guide the mandrel 'is' provided with 'a vertically elongated, transverse, slet 1.

The guide 'hasade'pQ axial, 'socket v8 extendf ing down from its upper end and also has a side slot 9).'l In kthe socket 9 there is a carrier I0 vand a finger II is pivo-ted at its lower end to said carrier and its upper end is adapted to work through the slot 9.

There is a cross rod I2 through the slot I and a. frangible pin I3 is fitted through the upper end of the carrier I0 and the rod I2 to pin them to- (Cl. 16e-0,4)

gather.` The upper end of .the v earrier is reduced I2 lextend so that .the pin I and carrier I lllwillY hold the support I6 ,in itslowerpos'tionQ on the mandrel, while going intothe well.

There are the knife arms I'l whose lower. ends are pivotally connected tothe,vv support. I'I` and upstand therefrom, as sho-wn .incre ,accurately in. Figure 6.1 The upper `endsf 'oflthese armslcarry the transverse. outwardly fdirectejd, blades, or

knives, I8 having the outwardlveurved' cutting edges I 9 having l.the ,saine cuvatuiie, as the [Pipe 20'gto be vcut asshownin'Fi 3.,'

In'use'theltooyl mafloeas loled as shown in Figure 1 andloweredinto'the pipe '2`Il. The supe portie will beheldin.its'iowerpositron on ythe mandrel by the carrier Io, whichisyconriecited tool the pin I ffwill be fshearedandthe carrier.

Il! will dropdown ntothe soeket gthus retracting the nger I l. The tool may then be suddenly dromenland theinertie 0f lhellpporb I6 and arm elle .blades thereon, will allewthe tapering portion` of the mandrelto move down loetweellv the arms and expand them and rforce the blades into Contact 'with .piheiZll 'te' arrest the further downward movement' of thet'ool.' The jars may then 'be successively elevated .and dropped to gradually force .ihlemerldlrl fllllher downwardly thus forcingthefblades outwardly 'through the Dipeas shown in FiglllllQ. f

The' mandrel may then be Pulledv upwardly and the arms will be released' and when the `llllpr end of the guide E engages'the support I6 thearms will be forced upwardly and the downwardlyslop illg llpler sides of the bladesl'will cause 'them to disengage thefpipefandA the tool may be removed mmthlwn: A s shownl in Figure 2 the blades, 'when expanded, will be spacedl a distanceparbcircumfer'entially, and will not, "therefore," completely sever' thefp'ipe but will s weakeit 'that .it can be pulled in two. When the tool'is 'reinovedffrom the pipe a pipe puller, of convnti'oallconstruction, can be lowered into the well and engaged with the upper end thereof and the pipe pulled in well.

,Y be withdrawn. f

two and the severed section removed. The cutting and pulling operation can be repeated asY often as necessary until the recoverable portion of the stuck pipe has been removed from the In the embodiment shown in Figure 7 the rope socket, jars, the tapering mandrel, and the blade arms and blades are substantially the same as shown in Figure 1. However the blade' arm support 22 is cylindrical in shape and has an elongated vertical slot 23 extending entirely therethrough, transversely and a cross-yoke 24 extends through the lower end of the mandrel and is pinned therein with its ends extended into said slot on each side. The support 22 also has an axial bore 25 extending from end to end. thereof.

Before lowering this embodiment of thetool into the stuck pipe a tool support is lowered into the pipe and set at the desired location and on which the tool may land. In the present illustration this tool support consists of a body 26 having the downwardly converging side faces 2l', 2'!y Y toothed and when expanded will engage the pipe The 26 and anchor the tool support in place. ropeused in .locating the tool support may then The cutting toolV may then be loweredfuntil it lands on the tool support and the mandrel i forced down by successivel strokes of the jars 2 until the blades are forced through the Ypipe 2i) Y to partly sever it. .d Thereupon the tool may be elevated to release then blades from the pipe, as before, and the tool partly turned and again lowered onto' the tool support and' another cut made Y to sever the pipe between the preceding cuts and a 'section ofpipe thus completely severed andv support, blades on said arms, means for releas.

ing the mandrel from the support to allow the independent downward movement of the mandrel relative to the inertia body, said mandrel being shaped to expand the arms and blades to force the blades into cutting relation with the pipe and impact means at theupper end of the mandrel wherebyv the mandrel maybe driven downwardly and the blades forced through the pipe'. Y 2. A pipe cuttercomprising, a cutter body which has a downwardly Vtapering portion, a blade support slidable on the body, outwardly movable blades mounted on the blade support and ar-v ranged to be expanded bysaid tapering portion upon downward movement of the body, said support being adapted to hold the blades against downward movement, by inertia, as the ,body

moves downwardly. I Y y l 3. A Y pipe cutter comprising, a cutter body which includes a mandrel having an expander, a blade support movable, by inertia, relative to the body, blades on the support around the body ar- Cil ranged to be expanded by said expander uponV such movement.

4. A pipe cutter shaped to be lowered into a well pipe and comprising, a cutterr body which includes a mandrel having a blade expander, a

blade support slidable 0n the body, supportingY arms upstanding from said support around the expander, outwardly directed blades on said arms said support being adapted to be held, by inertia, as the mandrel and expander are moved to expand the blades. v

5. A pipe Vcutter comprising, a cutter body whichvincludes a mandrel having a blade expander, a blade support on the body, means including a frangible element for holding said support against substantial movement on the body, blades mounted on the support, means engageable with the pipe to be cut Vand effective to retain said holding means, upon Yupward movement of the body in the pipe, whereby Vsaid frangible element will be broken to allow the body to move independent of the blade support and blades, said expander being arranged to expand the blades to penetrate the pipe upon subsequent downward movement of the expander. 4

'6.' A pipe cutter shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a Welland comprising, acutter body which includes a mandrelY having a blade expander, a blade support movable by inertia relative to the body, upstanding, outwardly movable arms on the support, outwardly directed blades on the arms, said expander being arranged to l move the armsy and blades outwardly upon downward movement of the body relative to thesupport.

7. A pipe cutter shaped to be lowered into a pipe in a well and comprising, a cutter body which includes a mandrel having a blade expander, a blade support associated with thefbody,

outwardly vmovable arms upstanding from' the support, outwardly directed blades on the arms, means for kretaining the support against substantial movement, relative to thebody, while the tool is being lowered into the pipe, means for releasing said retaining means, upon subsequent upward movement of the tool in the pipe, said support being adapted to be held by inertia and said expander being arranged to expand the arms` and blades upon subsequent downwardmovement of the body. e

8. A pipe cutter shaped to be lowered into a well pipe and comprising, a cutter body which includes a mandrel having a blade expander, a blade support slidable on lthe body, supporting arms upstanding from said support around the expander, outwardly directed blades on said arms arranged to be initially moved into contact withk the pipe, upon initial downward movement of the expander to support the tool in the pipe, and impact means, under the control of an operator for driving thev body and expander further down-- wardly between the Varms to expand the arms and blades to cause the blades to penetrate into the pipe. JOHN R. JOBE, 

